Middlesbrough have signed Super Eagles captain and former Chelsea midfielder Mikel Obi on a short-term deal, the Championship club said on Thursday.

The 31-year-old is arriving at the English league second-tier clubside Riverside Stadium as a free agent.

This is after leaving China’s Tianjin Teda at the end of the Chinese Super League season in November.

Mikel rose to prominence during an 11-year stint with Chelsea, winning two English Premier League titles, three FA Cups and the UEFA Champions League in 2012.

He also won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013 playing for Nigeria in an international career that has spanned 12 years and 85 appearances, including two World Cups.

“I’m pleased to get him in. He is a man with a lot of experience and quality,” Middlesbrough manager Tony Pulis said in a statement.

“He has a winning mentality and he wants to be here to be a part of what we are looking to achieve.”

Mikel becomes Pulis’ second signing of the January window, following the arrival of Rajiv van La Parra on loan from Huddersfield Town.

Middlesbrough, who are bidding to return to the English Premier League for the first time since 2016/2017, are currently fifth in the Championship table. (NAN)